How we are helping the NHS

John Goulston, Chair, NHS LPP Board

“We live in extraordinary times.  In health we are familiar with operating in a complex environment, yet the current situation is unique to any we have experienced in our careers: the rate of change is immense and the challenges faced by staff across the system, both in clinical and non-clinical settings are unparalleled.

At times like these, a steady hand is needed and like navigators on a ship, our NHS LPP expert team has helped NHS trusts steer a course through rough seas. We are the specialist advisors for the four workstreams that NHS LPP focuses on (Clinical Digital Services, Estates, Facilities and Professional Services, Medicines Optimisation and Pharmacy Procurement and Workforce), the interpreters of information - and a place to share the burden.  We are a place to seek clarity and solutions as trusts answer the daily question: how to practically configure and deploy their resources at a functional level to best serve patients and uphold the values of the NHS - making sure everyone receives the care they need.

In wave one, the NHS LPP team provided specialist clinical expertise to monitor the even distribution and supply of medicines across London, gave digital support to quickly and securely procure healthcare apps and online resources, worked to ensure clinical staff could be recruited and start as quickly as possible across the country and at the Nightingale hospitals - and found practical solutions to daily issues in areas such as cleaning, catering, transport, car parking and temporary accommodation of staff and patients. 

The future is difficult to gauge, with many potential outcomes, so our team has a dual approach: firstly, listening to what the health service needs and acting quickly to provide it. Secondly, using our data and expertise as forward intelligence to anticipate what’s needed, identify opportunities for collaboration and be an agent for change.   

An example of the former, is recent work with NHS England and NHS Improvement to procure a new national diabetes app to help people stay well and reduce their vulnerability to complications of COVID-19. We also continually listen for and interpret new guidance and information so trusts can react quickly to new opportunities. The announcement in April this year that the government would write off some of the NHS historic debt  followed by the establishment of the Capital Infrastructure Resource presented an opportunity for trusts to address urgent backlog maintenance issues. Our team tailored a quick and compliant route to market for minor works and maintenance , which has been very popular with our members. Similarly, our net zero carbon project will provide solutions to help trusts reduce their carbon emissions and work towards meeting government and NHS England net zero commitments.

As well as adapting to change, we’re driving it and our Business Intelligence team is scanning work plans submitted by our members across London to identify patterns and opportunities for trusts and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) so they can make better procurement decisions for the benefit of patients. While the challenges we face are unparalleled, historically, many are common across London - and across the nation - so we’re identifying areas of collaboration where we can reduce duplication of resources and work better together.

Work has already begun on this, with NHS LPP teams beginning projects such as  a new, pan-London list of medicines or formulary, to reduce variance in prescribing, or delivering a new single, city wide international recruitment service through CapitalNurse, which will both save trusts time and resources and also provide nurses with a standardised onboarding process across London.